Safety Audits and Inspections Flashcards
7 cards from real COSS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Safety Audits and Inspections flashcards as text
In safety audit terminology, what does 'auditee' refer to?
Answer: The organization, department, or individual being audited
The auditee is the party whose operations, systems, or processes are subject to examination during the audit.
Which of the following is a key difference between a safety INSPECTION and a safety AUDIT?
Answer: Inspections typically focus on physical conditions and immediate hazards; audits evaluate systems and management processes
Inspections are generally narrower, targeting observable physical hazards and conditions, while audits are broader systematic evaluations of programs, processes, and management systems.
When an audit checklist item asks if 'housekeeping is maintained,' what should auditors use to make the rating objective?
Answer: Defined criteria specifying what constitutes acceptable housekeeping conditions
Objective criteria — such as specific standards for aisle clearance, labeling, and waste disposal — remove subjectivity and make housekeeping ratings consistent across auditors and visits.
A safety professional is conducting a management system audit and uses the 'turtle diagram' approach. What does this tool primarily help evaluate?
Answer: Inputs, outputs, resources, methods, and indicators for a given process
The turtle diagram is a process analysis tool that maps what goes into a process (inputs, people, equipment, methods) and what comes out (outputs, measures), helping auditors assess process effectiveness.
Under OSHA's PSM (Process Safety Management) standard, how often must a Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) be revalidated?
Answer: Every five years
29 CFR 1910.119(e)(6) requires that PHAs be updated and revalidated at least every five years after the initial PHA.
Which of the following represents the BEST practice for maintaining auditor independence?
Answer: Ensuring auditors have no direct responsibility for the areas they are auditing
Auditor independence requires that auditors not audit their own work or areas they directly control, preventing conflicts of interest that could compromise objectivity.
What is a 'near-miss' audit trigger, and why is it valuable?
Answer: An internal audit or inspection launched after a near-miss event to identify system failures before a serious injury occurs
Auditing after a near-miss treats the event as a free lesson, uncovering the underlying hazards and control failures that almost caused harm before they result in a real injury.